Porsche invented a new record category on the Nürburgring Nordschleife for its upcoming Taycan EV — that of four-door, all-electric sports cars.

A pre-series Porsche Taycan with test driver Lars Kern behind the wheel managed to conquer the legendary track in 7 minutes and 42 seconds, thus establishing the new record. In absolute terms, the lap time does not seem that spectacular. The 510 PS Alfa Romeo Giulia Quadrifoglio, for example, posted a 7m32s lap time in 2015, making it 10 seconds quicker than the 600hp+ Taycan.

The Porsche Panamera Turbo is also 4 seconds quicker than the Taycan with its 7m38s time posted in 2017. A more recent record is that of the Mercedes-AMG GT 63 S 4Matic+ which lapped the ‘Ring in 7 minutes and 25.4 seconds in October 2018.

As for other EVs that posted official lap times on the Nürburgring Nordschleife, the comparison wouldn’t be fair. The VW ID.R and Nio EP9 are way quicker at 6m05.3s and 6m45.9s, respectively – the ID.R is a purpose-built, record-breaking racer while the EP9 is a hypercar.

This Nürburgring Nordschleife record lap is the latest stage in the Porsche Taycan’s Triple Endurance Run, which also included a strenuous test involving 26 successive acceleration runs from zero to 200 km/h (124 km/h) and covering 3,425 kilometers (2,128 miles) within 24 hours on the Nardò high-speed test track.

“The Taycan is also suitable for race tracks and it convincingly proved that here on the world’s most challenging circuit,” test driver Lars Kern says. “Again and again, I am impressed at how stable the all-electric sports car handles in high-speed sections, such as Kesselchen, and how neutrally it accelerates from tight sections, such as Adenauer Forst,” he added.

Also read: 2020 Porsche Taycan Interior Fully Revealed, Even The Passenger Gets A Touchscreen

Those are not coincidences, as the Taycan has spent a significant amount of time on the Nordschleife during its development, starting from an early simulator stage.

 

Porsche Taycan Quickest EV Of Its Kind On The Nordschleife With 7:42 Lap
Porsche Taycan Quickest EV Of Its Kind On The Nordschleife With 7:42 Lap
Porsche Taycan Quickest EV Of Its Kind On The Nordschleife With 7:42 Lap
Porsche Taycan Quickest EV Of Its Kind On The Nordschleife With 7:42 Lap
Porsche Taycan Quickest EV Of Its Kind On The Nordschleife With 7:42 Lap
Porsche Taycan Quickest EV Of Its Kind On The Nordschleife With 7:42 Lap
Porsche Taycan Quickest EV Of Its Kind On The Nordschleife With 7:42 Lap
Porsche Taycan Quickest EV Of Its Kind On The Nordschleife With 7:42 Lap
Porsche Taycan Quickest EV Of Its Kind On The Nordschleife With 7:42 Lap
Porsche Taycan Quickest EV Of Its Kind On The Nordschleife With 7:42 Lap
Porsche Taycan Quickest EV Of Its Kind On The Nordschleife With 7:42 Lap
Porsche Taycan Quickest EV Of Its Kind On The Nordschleife With 7:42 Lap